Catholic Church not content not to have to pay for employee health ins. that covers contraceptives

Now you’re going too far

After the Obama administration bent over backwards to accommodate the Catholic Church’s complaint about having to provide health insurance to their employees that covers birth control, the Church threw it aside claiming it wasn’t good enough. Why? In part because it doesn’t allow any employer that wants to to impose his or her religious views on their employees.

[T]he bishops explained that the “HHS mandate creates still a third class, those with no conscience protection at all:individuals who, in their daily lives, strive constantly to act in accordance with their faith and moral values.” This includes employers sponsoring and subsidizing the coverage, insurers writing it, and beneficiaries paying individual premiums for it. Friday’s action confirms that HHS has no intention to provide any exemption or accommodation at all to this “third class. “In obedience to our Judeo-Christian heritage, we have consistently taught our people to live their lives during the week to reflect the same beliefs that they proclaim on the Sabbath. We cannot now abandon them to be forced to violate their morally well-informed consciences.

This so-called “third class” are business owners who think that owning a business that enjoys all of the benefits of our modern American society should be free from some of the responsibilities that go along with those benefits. People like Domino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, for example, who says that contraception is “gravely immoral”.

Here’s the thing: we ALL pay taxes and have expenses for things we disagree with. I detest war but, every month, the U.S. government takes its share of my paycheck to fund our participation in war. I detest the Republicans that are destroying our state but every month, the State of Michigan takes its share of my paycheck to make sure they get their paycheck.

It’s no different for businesses. Part of our grand bargain is that you get to enjoy the benefits of society — an energy grid, a transportation system, safe drinking water, a place for your toilet to flush to, police protection, fire protection, and a whole host of other services our society provides and that create the vibrant economy that allows businesses the chance to flourish. In return, businesses have some responsibilities and some rules to follow. Yeah, it’s true you may not agree with all of them. Welcome to the real world the rest of us live in where we have to put up with some things we disagree with for the privilege of being part of this amazing country.

And let us not forget that this monolithic religious group doesn’t pay a dime in taxes.

The part that galls me most about the Catholic Church’s position is that they expect the government to help them enforce their ridiculous stance on contraceptives. It’s not enough for them that they teach their followers what to do and believe. They need to make sure that the federal government helps to reduce the chance that their followers will break their rules about birth control use by stopping them from helping to make it affordable.

They want all of the benefits and privileges without the responsibility that goes with it. How very “moral” of them.

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The Catholic Church carries its hallmark of Righteousness as a moralistic club with which to beat everyone – Catholic or not – over the head and into submission to its vision. It doesn’t seem to accept that truth can flow from many facets,not just its own iron-clad, self-proclaimed pronouncements. Instead of creating itself in the image and likeness of “God”, it attempts to create “God” according to its own perceived image.Tax them!

http://twitter.com/cjcrew58 Connie Crew

If we could demand our tax dollars only go to things we approve of, I don’t think war would be quite as popular.

Arakiba

Those pedophile-protectors and child rapists have gone too far.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000335064977 Roni Harvey

Perhaps they should think a little less about cleaning up our house and clean their own! It was never about their having to pay for it, it was always about anyone having access to it! But they don’t get to tell us what to do. I am guided during the work week by the same principles that guide me on the Sabbath..and that is stay the hello out of our bodies!

We have to stop thinking about health insurance coverage as a gift that employers bestow upon us. We EARN our coverage just as we do our pay. Employers do not get to dictate how we spend the money we earn, nor should they be able to dictate what we do with our health insurance.

Nate

yea how “evil” of a NON-PROFIT organization to opt out of a clause that goes against its moral beliefs. hey guys, im not sure if you have read it, but there is a thing called a constitution of the united states that gives freedom of religion without interference. the catholic church existed long before this country was born, and it will exist long after its demise. as for you pathetic people who actually don’t see the good the church does (it is the biggest charitable organization in the entire world), maybe you need to shut up and stop worshiping yourselves. simply pathetic, im so glad our society is basically a bunch of selfish egomaniacs that think their opinion is the end-all-be-all. congratulations america, liberalism has really done a number on you.

http://eclectablog.com Eclectablog

First of all, nobody used the word “evil”. Second of all, it isn’t the church itself that is in question here. They are already exempt from this. It’s their hospitals and businesses that they run that we are talking about. Finally, Mr. Constitutional expert, there is no such component to our US Constitution. The Constitution says:

“Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
They are completely free to exercise their religion but when they start up businesses and such, they are no longer operating in that realm.

Iommianity

Well said. Stop ‘worshiping yourselves’ people (don’t think about what this actually means, it will sound less diminutive), and get over the fact that your employers tell you what you can and can’t do with your body. After all, the Catholic church does a lot of volunteer work.

markmac

The catholic church needs to take full responsibility for the rape of children and the continuing cover up. Maybe once that happens, people will take what they and their followers say as something less than complete bull shit.

m33crob

I like the idea of churches being able to dictate what medical procedures they will cover. This is not because I agree with their views, but rather because it will lead people away from the church.

Russell Frege

Yes of course you have lots of moral convictions, but the difference is that yours are based on reason, observation, and compassion. The Catholic Church does not respect reason, observation, and compassion as an equally significant basis for moral conviction. They are, based on their statement, moral relativists who think that moral convictions, to be worthy of respect, must be based on culturally relative “obedience to a heritage” rather than invariant, humanistic values.

http://www.facebook.com/gordon.hilgers Gordon Hilgers

I like the idea of hospital administrators depriving women of the Constitutional right to an abortion or to the use of the day after pill as a matter of “conscience”.

Torquemada was using the auto da fey as “a matter of consicence” too, wasn’t he?

garak99

This problem is so easy the remedy. You don’t include provisions that are required by law to be included in Health Insurance than you forgo you City, State and Federal Tax Exemption

Cmcbean

To say that the Catholic Church doesn’t pay taxes is inaccurate. They still have to pay taxes on their employees! The thing is, their organizations don’t exist for the good of the Church, so it can make more money, they exist for the good of the community! Catholic Charities, the Food Pantries, the homeless shelters…none of those are giant moneymakers, and most of them rely heavily on volunteers…but there are some jobs that you just have to pay a professional to do, so they do hire people. I wasn’t Catholic when I worked for Catholic Charities, but I fully understood that the organization ran under the premises of the Church. Duh! Why would they support something they don’t believe in? They never made me sign a waiver that said in my personal life I would not have premarital sex or use birth control, but they were well within their rights not to have to pay for it! My husband and I are both Catholic now, and we run a business. Our business is NOT run through the Church, therefore the insurance we offer DOES include contraception. Just because we believe differently, doesn’t assume our employees do, and they would have not expectation of that, because we are not a religious organization. You can’t expect an organization that only exists BECAUSE of its beliefs to contradict those beliefs! The true nature of the the separation of church and state was to keep the state out of the affairs of the various churches and allow people to worship as they please. Seriously, if you don’t want to abide by the tenents of the Catholic Church, at least while at work, then DON’T work for them! (and birth control doesn’t cost that much, really! if you can’t afford it, go to Planned Parenthood! They are happy to pay for it! Why force the Church to violate its conscience?)

Tony Trupiano is the host of the radio program, The Voice of the People, heard on blogtalkradio.com every Monday through Friday from 9 AM until Noon ET and the author of two books, and has been part of the progressive media landscape for 20-plus years. Known as "The Voice of Labor" and as an activist & advocate, Tony has no problem showing up for a good fight. Follow him on Twitter @tonytrupiano.